Just hours before Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Amethi on Wednesday, posters branding him as a “supporter of terror” appeared at several locations across the city, including near the Congress office and the local bus stand.
The provocative posters stirred political tensions, even as police had been deployed in strength to prevent such incidents.
Despite heightened security, the posters that read “Aatank ka saathi Rahul Gandhi” (Supporter of terror: Rahul Gandhi) were spotted in the city early this morning.
The identity of those behind the act remains unknown.
According to official, police had been on alert to prevent the circulation of such material, but their efforts fell short.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, on Tuesday reached his parliamentary constituency Raebareli for a visit. Today, he will be in Amethi, his former Lok Sabha constituency that elected him thrice, and later proceed to Kanpur.
Amethi district Congress president Pradeep Singhal said, “All preparations have been completed for Gandhi’s tour. He will travel by road from Bhueymau guest house in Raebareli to Amethi, where party workers and locals will welcome him along the route.” Gandhi’s official itinerary began with a delegation meeting in Bhueymau, Rae Bareli, at 8.15 am, followed by a visit to a gun factory and Indo Asian Rifles Pvt. Ltd in Amethi.
He is expected to arrive in Munshiganj, Amethi, around 12:30 PM. There, he will inspect the Ordnance Factory and later inaugurate a new heart surgery operation theatre and ambulance service at the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital.
The Congress leader will also visit the Indira Gandhi College of Nursing and interact with students and faculty. Later in the afternoon, he will leave for Kanpur around 1 pm to meet the family of the late Shubham Dwivedi, who was among the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.